Tahoe Tourism Trying New Technology
by Brinn Talbot, Outpost staff
The Journal of Commerce reported that online travel and leisure business reached $3.1 billion in 1999. Forrester Research estimates the business will grow to $29 billion by 2003. If this prediction is accurate, travel destinations had better be prepared to keep up by offering online booking, e-commerce, and one-stop-shopping for travelers.
 View of Mt. Tallac, Lake Tahoe Photo by Alexandra Yannakos |
Lake Tahoe is no Exception.
"E-commerce is coming of age," said Phil McKenney, executive director for the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association. "This is where all travel and tourism entities are headed &endash; if they aren't already there."
Lake Tahoe is keeping up with national trends in e-commerce and online booking, but central reservation agents are suffering at the same time. Not only are they being beat out by online booking services, outside computer techs are coming in with advanced technology. Companies like TahoeGuide.com have set up an advanced reservation bureau on the Internet even though they are located in the San Francisco area.
"In the bigger picture, the travel and tourism industry is changing dramatically for central reservationists," said McKenney. "We aren't needed as much. People are going directly to the lodging entity and booking their own reservations."
What is happening around the world?
This year the Financial Times in London reported how the ease of online booking is not only convenient, but also saves travelers money when they self-book reservations over the Internet.
"In the United States many companies have converted traveling executives to using self-booking systems online. The newspaper reported that after two years of using a self-booking system, Charles Schwab, the broker, makes 45 percent of its travel bookings online. The company has cut travel booking staff by 40 percent and reduced the issuing a ticket from $50 to $8."
How are destinations like Lake Tahoe keeping up?
Each travel-related business is vying for the same customers and McKenney suggests heavily marketing your Web site to stay competitive.
Carl Ribaudo, president of Strategic Marketing Group, a firm based in Lake Tahoe that focuses on destination clients also sees the need for wholesale shopping over the Internet.
"The Web used to primarily be used for information gathering," Ribaudo said. "Now it is more about e-commerce and online booking."
He compares current use of the Web for booking reservations to that of a bank card when it was considered new technology.
 Sunset on Lake Tahoe Photo by Teresa Crawford |
"Travel is much more palpable online," Ribaudo said. "It is like banking cards used to be. People were afraid of putting their bankcard in the machine. Today some are afraid of using a credit card over the web, but it truly is the wave of the future."
Travelers may find this overwhelming and could spend hours surfing the Web before booking a reservation &endash; or giving up. Whether the reservation is booked or not, the Web offers a chance to research possibilities before making a choice.
"Incoming calls are less," said McKenney. "People are doing their homework before calling us."
The North Lake Tahoe Resort Association is striving to stay on top of the rapid growth of the Internet travel business.
"Although we don't have virtual tours of our properties yet, this is something we are moving towards quickly," McKenney said.
What about the ski resorts?
Ski resorts in Lake Tahoe are also focusing on enhancing their Web sites and attracting online web-surfers looking to make vacation plans.
Robert Olmer, director of marketing at Alpine Meadows Ski Resort, says the Internet gives visitors immediate accurate information.
"We have a web camera that allows visitors to view our conditions on the mountain," Olmer said. "The camera is updated every couple of hours."
Alpine Meadows as yet does not sell online tickets, but hopes to in the near future.
The smaller guys.
River Ranch, a small lodge and restaurant with only 19 rooms, doesn't book reservations over the Web.
"We've really only started to take reservations using email," said Jessica Isenberg, front desk manager of River Ranch. "People prefer to talk to a person and since our rooms are all very unique, we typically need to answer specific questions for each inquiring guest."
Boreal Mountain Playground, a small ski and snowboard resort on Donner Summit, will soon offer online booking for their childrens ski school.
"We aren't quite there yet," said Jody Churich, director of marketing for Boreal Mountain Playground. "But, for a smaller resort, we have a very comprehensive Web site and will have online Animal Cracker's lessons available soon."
Online booking is the only way to go.
The Oct. 27 issue of the Journal of Commerce reported that online booking will affect the industry: "The growth in online travel is significant for several reasons. First, it shows again that the Internet is having major impact on businesses. In this case, the business is the travel industry. Traditional-style travel agencies are in serious trouble as it is easier and cheaper to go online and plan your own trips without an agent."
If the local companies don't do it; Bay Area Internet Geeks will.
In Lake Tahoe, the smaller resorts and tourist-related businesses must keep up or they will get pushed out by Internet gurus out of the Bay Area. For example, TahoeGuide.Com directly competes with The North Lake Tahoe Resort Association for reservations. TahoeGuide.Com has partnered up with numerous local businesses to provide an all-inclusive web site for visitors to go to. TahoeGuide.com, owned by Rob Lizondo, is run out of his house in Berkeley, Calif.
"No one else in Lake Tahoe is doing what we do," Lizondo said. "We tie our reservations into an entire data-center for all businesses."
"Any company that thinks they can put an online booking service on the web and not have real people to talk to isn't looking at destination travelers."
Lizondo disagrees with companies that suggest online booking is the only way to go. He gives an example of a person surfing the Internet to make reservations for a trip to Lake Tahoe. The person logs onto a website that informs them that there aren't any reservations available - so, the person goes to another website. If an actual person were on the other end, they could tell that individual about other available accommodations.
"Our site gives people a chance to research before making a call," Lizondo said. "But, people still want to talk to a human before booking."
Lake Tahoe is doing its best to keep up in the Internet world. With nearby Silicon Valley, it is imperative that Lake Tahoe destination services stay at the forefront of technology.
If companies continue to come to the area and take over opportunities because the locals can't keep up, the local job market will suffer. It is frightening to think that the Lake Tahoe economy could be run from the Bay Area.
"Remaining on the cutting edge of the fast-paced Internet world is not only difficult for us because it is time-consuming,, it is expensive," McKenney said. "We can't offer wages competitive to Silicon Valley or the Bay Area, that makes it hard for us to hire a good MIS person to keep us up-to-date with advancements in e-commerce and the World Wide Web."
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